Planning a trip to CA

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atinmo

Member
Joined
Mar 4, 2011
Posts
18
Location
Dallas, TX
We are planning a trip to the Los Angeles area...does anybody know anything about Tule Campground at Success Lake, CA? 
 
The only thing I know about Success Lake is that it is nowhere near Los Angeles.  It is 167 miles and a 3-4 hour drive north of LA in the Sierra Foothills near Porterville.

Are you interested in the LA area, or camping in the Sierra foothills?
 
When you live in L.A. a three hour drive is nothing. People do that everyday just to go to work and back home. Me, I didn't play that, 13 miles, twenty mins. max, one way.
J
 
BTW...I'm new to the Forum but my husband and I have been full-time RVers for 3 years.  We live in our 36' Class A Winnebago Chieftain motorhome.  We've hosted in three different states (MO, IA, TX) and traveled to several states in the south, midwest, and east.  This will be our first trip West and I'm a little overwhelmed with my research and planning.  I asked about Tule Campground because I was hoping someone may have camped there and could tell me about it.  Also, I'm looking at Dogwood and Serrano Campgrounds in SAN BERNARDINO Nat'l Forest.

Our son lives in LA and we want to get as close as possible mid to end June.  We have an ACCESS pass and want (hopefully) to camp at a Corps or Nat'l park to save money.  I'm not sure of the safety  near and around LA so if anyone has stayed in campgrounds that can be recommended, I would appreciate it.

Glad to be on board!
 
if you didn't have to stay in a national park - I would recommend Carpenteria, CA - State park, however it will run you upwards of $35-50 per night depending on the size of your rig and whether or not you need power.
It is the best though - right on the ocean and just 1.5 hours from the la area.

California state parks are a little more (since the increases over the last 3 years).

Used to be $16-29 night.  Those days are gone...

Jay
 
Last time we went to SucessLake  weeds/foxtails were so high couldn't take dogs for a walk.  Shallow lake mostly treeless. Used to camp there when had a boat. IMO not a 'pretty' lake.  JM2?  ~ YMMV
 
jeverden said:
if you didn't have to stay in a national park - I would recommend Carpenteria, CA - State park, however it will run you upwards of $35-50 per night depending on the size of your rig and whether or not you need power.
It is the best though - right on the ocean and just 1.5 hours from the la area.

California state parks are a little more (since the increases over the last 3 years).

Used to be $16-29 night.  Those days are gone...

Jay

North of Carpenteria is El Captian SB (just north of Santa Barbara) which is my favorite place.  Not quite on the beach but its a easy short walk on the paths.  Lots of trees - sort of a woods feel combined with the beach.

Jay is right on about state parks prices - not the cheapest but handicapped with a state issued discount card sites rates are only 50% of regular price.  Carpenteria is well liked and gets good reviews and it's one of my co-worker favorite cg.  There are some little shops close by that she loves to visit - maybe within walking distance?  I can't remember if she walked or took a bus or train into town. 

One website that I use when possible is campsitephotos. 
 
hi atinmo

we are just back from long beach: stayed at golden shores rv park
we plan to return next year and stay a month
great location (if you are wanting to be IN the la area)

regards, pdq
 
The Los Angeles area is a huge piece of urban landscape roughly 75 miles N-S, and 85 miles E-W.  [l know, I live there.]  We could recommend a campground for you in one part of LA and you could find yourselves there a 2 hour drive in heavy urban traffic away from your son.  We don't need, or want, an exact address, but it would really help if you could give us an idea of what community your boy lives in. 
 
Our son lives in West Hollywood.
We may want to go up around San Francisco after LA.
We would like to camp at Corps, Forestry and/or  Nat'l parks because we get discounts.

Thx  to everyone for all the info...
 
I've done some research and found Chilao campground which is in the Angles National Forest, 26 miles from West Hollywood.  You can find more information here  It notes on the website that there is only 1 campsite in that campground for a 36' motor home.  Also it is first come first serve; no reservations.  In June it will be packed!!!  Also not the best population of So California stays in national park campgrounds. 

It will be very hard for you to find a campground in a National Forest close to Hollywood.  For one thing there aren't very many; in fact only a few and those are very remote.  Also be advised that the roads in the West Hollywood/Hollywood area are VERY tight.  We are used to city driving and I would not think about taking our 36' motor home through that area.  You will be find if you stay on the interstate.  There more than likely is no overnight camping on city streets in the Hollywood area.

There is a county park RV campground that has full hookups called Dockweilder Beach RV Park which is 11 miles from West Hollywood.  Here is their website.  You can make reservations.  I have no idea how much it cost.

A couple of other parks to look at are:  Castaic Lake RV park and Lake Piru Recreational Area which are both about 30 miles from West Hollywood.  If you stay on the north side of LA it will be easier distance wise to get into/out of West Hollywood than to stay on the south side out by San Bernardino.  Lots of people who have not been to the LA area are amazed at how big, expansive and dense the area is.  Traffic is the biggest factor.  If you stay off of the freeways between rush hours which are 7-10 am and 3-6 pm traffic usually moves fairly well.  Distance is usually given in minutes/hours out here instead of miles. 

Marsha~
 
Go to parks.ca.gov and get the info on getting the California disability card. If you've got a federal Access, you should qualify for the California one but you've got to have the California one to get half off. If you're going in June, you will have a VERY hard time getting into any of the beach parks. They're on reservations and they fill up the day the reservations are available which is 6 months out.

Wendy
 
We've stayed at Castaic Lake RV Park a couple of times. We'd prefer Valencia Travelers' Village a little behind Magic Mountain, but very pricey. We have family in the area so they both work well for us, but it is easy to get into LA from there in non-rush hours. If you can boondock for a few days, a couple of miles up the road from Castaic Lake RV Park is the Castaic Recreation County (LA County) park. The sites are nice and have lake views; $20/nite. We're thinking about trying there next time.
 
Marsha/CA said:
I've done some research and found Chilao campground which is in the Angles National Forest, 26 miles from West Hollywood.  You can find more information here  It notes on the website that there is only 1 campsite in that campground for a 36' motor home.  Also it is first come first serve; no reservations.  In June it will be packed!!!  Also not the best population of So California stays in national park campgrounds.

This June Chilao may well be almost empty.  CA-2, the Angeles Crest Hwy is closed from the I-210 to 8 miles east of La Ca?ada -- that is the entrance to the mountains from the LA area.  As I remember part of the damage is a total washout of the road and bed on a canyonside.  It may well be an all summer fix, if then.

Anyway, CA-2 is a well trafficed 2-lane mountain road.  It would be an interesting drive in a 36-foot motorhome.  ::)


Marsha~

 
atinmo said:
Our son lives in West Hollywood.
We may want to go up around San Francisco after LA.
We would like to camp at Corps, Forestry and/or  Nat'l parks because we get discounts.

Thx  to everyone for all the info...

I live on the west side of LA near West Hollywood.  The closest RV site would be Dockweiler Beach -- which is right on the beach underneath the take-off pattern for LAX.  The next nearest would be Malibu RV Park which gets a odd distribution of reviews by users (either excellent or horrible).  Perhaps even closer would be Birmingham RV Park in Van Nuys -- not particularly lovely and it has a number of permanent residents.  Read the review on both parks for yourselves -- Google them by park name.  Myself, I live here so I have not stayed in any of them. 

Urban RV parks will be pricey and tend to pack you in.  We have no USFS, COE, or National Park campgrounds within an hour's radius of your boy's place.  Do not try to tour LA in a large motorhome.  Head directly to your chosen campground and use your toad or a rental car to tour. 

You may even want to consider parking the motorhome and motel/hoteling it for the stay.  You will find a whole raft of hotels and motels at LAX and in Santa Monica, Culver City.  Those three areas have good access to W. Hollywood. 

 
I have lived here in the LA basin all my life and know the place pretty well.........I strongly urge you to look in the Santa Monica, Malibu area. This would be by far the closest to West Hollywood and also the simplest as far as traffic and directions are concerned.

The Malibu Beach RV Park  would be a fantastic place to stay but probably a "bit spendy" it is overlooking the Pacific and to get to W Hollywood,one would drive down the coast hwy which the RV park is on, turn left on Sunset Blvd which would take you right to the center of West Hollywood............................John S 
 
The Malibu Beach RV Park is on a bluff overlooking the ocean.  A short but steep drive up to it.  Great view!  Haven't been there for a few years but it was expensive back then - might have been 2000 because we were there on Census day.

Santa Monica isn't very RV friendly (Jerry's uncle who was an RVer lived there) and neither are most of the other area communities.  They've been innundated in the past with RVs parking on their streets for extended periods of time and residents got fed up so most now have anti-RV ordinances.  Parking is a bear.  I agree with Carl that you should find yourself an RV park that is as close to your son as possible and then drive back and forth in the toad.  If you've not driven in LA before, it's very nerve-wracking to cross six-to-eight lanes in a car to get to your exit, much less in an RV.

ArdraF
 
Hi again, yes you don't want to consider parking on the street in Santa Monica or any other city for that matter. Think about one  of the RV parks in and around Disneyland in the Anaheim area. West Hollywood is "Freeway Close"....

If at all possible, plan to arrive in the LA Basin and getting on the Freeway System after 9:30AM and off by 3:00PM.....
 
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